7 reasons why a cat licks its owner's face

There may be several reasons for this behavior. Most often, this is how she shows her love for her owner. Females lick their kittens, thereby ridding them of foreign odors and taking care of them. Therefore, when a cat licks a person, it thus shows its affection for him and “helps” get rid of what it considers foreign odors. After all, for them this is a very important and intimate moment in hygiene. According to another theory, by licking the owner’s fingers, she tries to attract attention to herself and begs for the next portion of delicacy.

TOP main reasons

1. In first place in the TOP 7 reasons why cats lick people is the communication factor. It is known that smell is of great importance for these animals. There are special glands on their body that produce odorous substances. In this case, the tail glands are responsible for substances that carry group information, and the head glands are responsible for more individual information. Thus, by licking the owner and then applying fresh marks, our pet is trying to leave a message.

2. Expression of affection – the theme of pheromones continues. Animal psychologists explain our attachment to furry creatures by the presence of these substances. By licking the owner and then wiping itself with its muzzle, the animal applies its own scent, thereby designating the person as “one of its own.”

3. Hygiene. This reason logically follows from the previous one - obviously, the cat is interested in the creature she loves so much being just as clean and tidy as her. In addition, in the wild, the smell can attract an enemy, therefore, in order to protect the owner from a potential enemy, a caring fluffy will carefully rid the owner of the treacherous smells of perfumes and other aromas.

4. Manipulation. In some cases, a cat licking a person may indicate a desire to play, or an attempt to hint that it would be nice to treat it with something tasty.

5. The cure for boredom is a lack of impressions, a way to have fun. Animal psychologists say that domestic cats are more prone to licking their owners and these sissies do this due to a lack of impressions. This is why cats lick their lips to touch people - it turns out they are expecting an emotional reaction!

6. A way to show your leadership position. This is how a caring mother cat takes care of the children she cares for.

7. Cure for stress. The furry tongue massages the skin and promotes the production of endorphins. And a cat’s fur coat contains a substance that normalizes mental balance. By licking its skin, a cat also takes care of a person when it feels that he urgently needs to calm down. Thus, fluffies are able to relieve homo sapiens from depression, stress and bad mood.

If an unpleasant habit appeared after the castration procedure

The fact that an animal licks itself non-stop after sterilization is a normal, understandable phenomenon. After surgery, when the incision scar begins to heal, this process is accompanied by severe itching and burning. It is not surprising that the cat will try to relieve discomfort by constantly licking the skin.

But it is important for the owner to understand what this can lead to. If the suture is constantly wet after surgery, this will lead to poor and too slow healing and increase the risk of secondary infection.

To protect against negative consequences, the pet is recommended to wear a surgical collar for 10 days after castration, until the suture finally heals.

In what situations do cats lick their heads?

If you woke up to your tailed pet selflessly licking your head, you can consider several reasons, and the main one is a passion for cleanliness. Probably, the cat considers the smell of shampoo too strong, or simply demonstrates the tenderness that it shows towards its own kittens. One of the reasons for this behavior may be the desire for dominance.

In the same list of reasons for the cat’s interest in the owner’s head, there is also a lack of attention. If this behavior of your furry pet causes discomfort, it is easy to wean her off it with the help of her favorite games and attention. If you can’t retrain your cat on your own, a specialist will always help.

How to stop

Stopping your cat from excessive licking can be difficult. This behavior is often rooted in love and affection, so it can be difficult to stop without damaging your relationship.

The best way to prevent licking is to redirect your cat's actions. For example, if your cat is about to lick your face, simply move her away from your face and pet her instead. You can also move away from your cat when she starts licking. This causes her to associate licking with you disappearing.

Why do cats lick their owner's face?

When a cat licks its owner's face, this may indicate two things. Firstly, that she looks after the owner, considering him a large cat who does not know how to take care of himself and provide proper care. Animal psychologists, figuring out why cats lick people, found another reason - the desire to mark the owner as property. In a cat group, licking is known to help create a common scent that allows group members to be recognized.

Showing love

And yet, no matter how arrogant and isolated cats may be, they also know how to sincerely love their owner! They demonstrate their warm feelings by licking his hands, head and other parts of the body. Therefore, if you are wondering why a cat licks its owner’s face and what it could mean, know: she just loves him!

This method of transmitting positive emotions in purrs is laid down from a very early age, when the mother cat licks her babies, caresses them and takes care of them in every possible way. It has been scientifically proven that animals feel the mood of their owners very well; they are able to empathize with them, be happy and sad with them. Moreover, they also want to receive affection and care in return. But if the owner is in no hurry to show his warm feelings, the cat can easily take the first step and caress his owner, encouraging him to stroke or scratch himself.

Why do furry pets lick their skin?

If cats show increased attention to the owner's skin - hands, or face, and especially when they lick armpits, it can be assumed that they need pheromones. The fact is that sweat contains hormones similar to substances with which cats attract the opposite sex. Thus, the pungent smell of sweat has a calming effect for cats. In a similar way, these animals react to catnip, valerian and mint, which have a very relaxing effect on furry pets. It is possible that your pet simply does not have enough salt with sodium and other minerals.

Taking care of hygiene

Well, of course, when licking a person, a cat tries to clean his “skin”, just as she is used to caring for her kittens. In the wild, a strong smell can give away an animal and attract an enemy. To destroy it, the cat will carefully lick hands washed with scented soap or neck or hair scented with shampoo.

You should not show your cat dissatisfaction with such a toilet. If you often drive a cat away, avoiding its rough tongue, the emotional connection and trust in the person may be disrupted. Saving him from danger, endowing him with the aromas of his “group”, the cat expects recognition and affection in return.

Cleansing a person from sharp, unpleasant or alien aromas, the cat exchanges its pheromones with the owner, so that the person, even at a distance, feels an emotional connection with his pet and does not forget about him.

Why do cats lick people's hands?

Cat owners sometimes notice in their pets a habit characteristic of dogs - hand licking. In fact, this is completely normal behavior. The first explanation is the most common desire to show affection and love to its owner. Some cats are convinced that such behavior is obligatory at the moment when the owner strokes them. However, there are cases when this form of expression of affection takes on a manic character - the licking of the pet’s hands becomes so obsessive that it can distract from everyday activities, from work, and even interfere with sleep if it happens during sleeping hours.

This behavior is typical for a cat that has recently had kittens - thus, she shares an excess of tenderness and care with her owner. In this case, stopping the cat’s distracting actions is quite simple - just move her to the kittens and her attention will switch to them.

All of the above reasons do not require special attention or concern. But when such behavior is not associated with the manifestation of maternal instinct, or the desire to express affection, it is worth contacting a specialist, since licking the owner’s hands in some cases is a signal of pathological processes in the body, or severe stress in the animal. In this case, you need to urgently call the veterinary clinic and consult - the doctor will make an appointment, carry out diagnostics and prescribe the correct treatment.

See also: causes of homosexuality in cats

Symptoms of diseases

There are cases when licking people is a desire to draw attention to the pet’s health problems, and not a show of love or a request for affection. These may be diseases or conditions such as:

Skin parasites, including fleas. The cat worries not only about itself, but also about the people around it, and is trying to get rid of the problem.
Allergy. If feeding is incorrect or the food is changed, skin problems can occur, which leads to excessive licking of yourself and those around you.
Disturbances in general health. By licking frequently, the animal tries to signal that something is wrong with it. It is important to notice changes in behavior and contact a veterinarian promptly.
Infectious diseases. Some of them cause itching and rashes on the skin, which irritates the pet and he tries to get rid of it in this way.

What is overgrooming in cats?

Overgrooming in cats is a rather poorly studied pathology, characterized by excessive licking of certain areas of the body, as a result of which the hair in these places becomes thinner, and then bald spots are formed - areas of open skin, sometimes with the presence of wounds.

Cat owners need to know that overgrooming often occurs in animals due to psychological reasons.

Desire to beg for food or treats

When a cat licks the owner's hand while eating, it is not a matter of showing feelings, but simple begging. In a similar way, a pet can remind you of the need to feed it if its bowls are empty at the right time. This is especially true when the cat stomps its paws while licking your hands. This behavior remains in all individuals from infancy. Kittens massage the belly and mammary glands of the mother cat in a similar way to get a large portion of milk.

Aromatic labeling

A cat can mark something in many ways, their tongue is one of them. Typically, when two cats groom each other, their scents mix. They "tag" each other in the process, and now they both smell like each other.

Your cat may try to recreate this mixture of smells when grooming you. This reason is difficult to distinguish from attachment, mainly because odors usually come from the attachment site as well. Your cat may also knead you, which helps mix your flavors.

Either way, it's mostly a result of your cat licking their hands, although they may act a little differently than you're used to.

Article Author: Kristin Hitchcock Kristin is passionate about helping pet parents create fulfilling lives with their pets by keeping them informed about the latest scientific research and helping them choose the best foods for their pets.